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When you download the game it is 100% of the game. The IAP is just a key that allows you to go past whatever the "demo" is.

While it IS an anti piracy tactic it's incredibly easy to get past. It just requires a bit more knowhow the just running an auto cracking program.
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The other big issue for us as consumers is that we no longer OWN our games.

I'll give an example:

I bought Stoneloops of Jurassica when it came out. Although it was pulled from the AppStore I still have my IPA. I still have it on my iPhone and as long as Apple doesn't change iOS in a way that breaks the game... it's mine forever.

If I bought Starfront: Collision and got the IAP key to play the rest of the game then there isn't much of a difference... UNLESS it was removed from the AppStore.

Let's say Blizzard says there are one to many similarities to StarCraft and want it pulled... Well as long as I keep Starfront on my device I'm completely fine. If I ever take it off my device then I'm in trouble. A reinstall means I need that unlock key again, but since the game is pulled I can't get it.
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Even from Gameloft's position it isn't a very attractive proposition. They can never be on the top paid apps chart, they have a lower average rating in the AppStore, and any useful reviews (unless liked) will be drowned in the sea of people just trying it cause it was free and leaving bad reviews

Just reiterating who I think was squarezero mentioned earlier in this thread, you never own anything digital anyways. You are purchasing a license for personal use, you don't purchase rights to the product. So stating that you own a game, cd, dvd, tv show, song, app, ect. is not entirely true. All ownership and rights are solely to the creator and usually digital anything carry no warranties and can be changed at anytime.

Just reiterating who I think was squarezero mentioned earlier in this thread, you never own anything digital anyways. You are purchasing a license for personal use, you don't purchase rights to the product. So stating that you own a game, cd, dvd, tv show, song, app, ect. is not entirely true. All ownership and rights are solely to the creator and usually digital anything carry no warranties and can be changed at anytime.

When a consumer purchases a software product it is true that they do not own unlimited or exclusive rights to the software or source code but they do own the LICENSE to use it. A software license will always state terms of use and as long as the consumer does not violate those terms the publisher is NOT entitled to revoke or otherwise terminate said license without cause. A software license does not ONLY protect the rights of the publisher it also defines and protects the rights of the CONSUMER.

This IAP model is an interesting approach but it clearly has flaws that can affect the ability of the consumer to enjoy the perpetual nature of a non-subscription based software license. It deserves critical attention and thoughtful discussion not blind defense from individuals parroting inaccurate and all too commonly held misconceptions about digital rights.

Very smart move by gameloft to battle piracy. And I cannot blame them at all. So many people think it's not really stealing but it is just as much stealing as if you picked the wallet of someone. It's immoral and just plain wrong. I always put myself in others shoes and I would never like to be robbed so do unto others as you want done to you. As for being able to put the games on other devices I have it on my iPhone 4 and my 7 year olds 3rd Gen touch at the same time and if you manage the game trough iTunes your saves and everything are still intact. For me it has acted just like anyother App/Game I have had before the only difference is no need for a separate lite version and it makes it harder for thieves to steal it. I hope more and more games go this way because for those who steal the games they are taking money away from developers that we want to make as much money A's possible so they continue to make better and better games on iOS devices.

First recent gameloft game I haven't bought you may read into that what you will.

Not saying I'm right or wrong but the first time they bug fix or something won't that change the DLC to another DLC. To be honest I don't know but to many times DLC seems to just vanish on me or forget it's installed I just don't like it.

I'm sure plenty of people will buy it anyway but they will probably lose some sales including mine.

I don't mean to sound bitter, cold, or cruel, but I am, so that's how it comes out

Very smart move by gameloft to battle piracy. And I cannot blame them at all. So many people think it's not really stealing but it is just as much stealing as if you picked the wallet of someone. It's immoral and just plain wrong. I always put myself in others shoes and I would never like to be robbed so do unto others as you want done to you. As for being able to put the games on other devices I have it on my iPhone 4 and my 7 year olds 3rd Gen touch at the same time and if you manage the game trough iTunes your saves and everything are still intact. For me it has acted just like anyother App/Game I have had before the only difference is no need for a separate lite version and it makes it harder for thieves to steal it. I hope more and more games go this way because for those who steal the games they are taking money away from developers that we want to make as much money A's possible so they continue to make better and better games on iOS devices.

How many times has someone posted how "smart [a] move by [G]ameloft to battle piracy," without realizing that this particular flavor of software distribution via IAP is in reality much less secure than a "traditional" iTMS app purchase? You don't even need a jailbroken device to pirate this game or Sacred Oddyssey. If this is Gameloft's attempt at battling piracy it is an epic failure. But it's funny how people with barely an anecdotal understanding of piracy or software publishing think it is revolutionary in its cleverness.

I whole-heartedly agree that piracy is wrong - as a software product manager and designer I know first hand who is hurt by it. But in my opinion appending more and more intrusive, annoying or inconvenient forms of DRM that interfere with fair use is not the way to succeed in combating piracy. If anything it encourages the very activity it was intended to prevent by giving crackers incentive in the form of a new challenge and alienating a significant portion of your legitimate potential customer base. An alienated consumer that loses trust in a software publisher is far more likely to pirate that publisher.

In-app purchases can be verified via Apples server, while regular payments not. So it is in some ways more secure for the developer, although there are easy ways to detect cracked paid apps as well.
I'm not sure if this is the good strategy for Gameloft though since their business depends on being highlighted / featured by Apple and having promotions via price drops. They don't have social games yet where in-app purchases make sense.

How many times has someone posted how "smart [a] move by [G]ameloft to battle piracy," without realizing that this particular flavor of software distribution via IAP is in reality much less secure than a "traditional" iTMS app purchase? You don't even need a jailbroken device to pirate this game or Sacred Oddyssey. If this is Gameloft's attempt at battling piracy it is an epic failure. But it's funny how people with barely an anecdotal understanding of piracy or software publishing think it is revolutionary in its cleverness.

I whole-heartedly agree that piracy is wrong - as a software product manager and designer I know first hand who is hurt by it. But in my opinion appending more and more intrusive, annoying or inconvenient forms of DRM that interfere with fair use is not the way to succeed in combating piracy. If anything it encourages the very activity it was intended to prevent by giving crackers incentive in the form of a new challenge and alienating a significant portion of your legitimate potential customer base. An alienated consumer that loses trust in a software publisher is far more likely to pirate that publisher.

I for one am used to just clicking the buy button in iTunes, and not giving it a second thought. I'm not a fan of IAP, I prefer to pay the upfront price for an app and thats it. Since IAP's were introduced to the Appstore I viewed them to be mostly a negative thing for consumers. Gamelofts new model is a minor hindrance that I prefer not to put up with. I feel much better knowing that I have a purchased app that I can freely install at will without having to talk to Apple's (Gameloft's) servers everytime I wish to do so. Why does everyone here think Gameloft's new model is because of piracy? There are probably other reasons for them going the IAP route...I agree with COHagan23 I believe this new model will fail and ultimately end up alienating former loyal customers.

You can now download the full game without the need for the IAP. It has been released as a normal app. Judging by the comments on the app store it makes me think that they had too many problems with the IAP so have gone the normal purchase route

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